Warrior
by Marishka12
Summary: Sequel to Skyscraper. Tori has a good life. Her relationship with Andre is stronger than ever and her baby daughter is happy. The six months of torture she received is behind her. But what will she do when she has to retell and relive all those awful memories just to bring closure to the situation once and for all?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! I'm back :) This is the sequel to Skyscraper, so if you have not read Skyscraper yet, you will be confused! But if you have read Skyscraper…I hope you enjoy this story! :D**

**By the way, this story starts eleven months after the end of Skyscraper.**

**Disclaimer: Nope, Victorious is not mine.**

...

Tori's POV

"Do you, Victoria Vega, swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth or so help you God?"

With my hand on the Bible, I let out a sigh and said, "Yes,"

The judge nodded. "Alright, have a seat."

I nodded and sat down close to the judge. I looked at the view in front of me, but then the first thing that caught my eye was…the man. He was sitting on his side in an orange jumpsuit while in handcuffs. He was looking at the ground. This was the first time seeing him since I'd been found. I prepared myself for this and told myself to not have flashbacks and so far, I was doing well.

A lawyer by the name of Richard Lewis, who represented the United States, was standing in front of me. He was on my side, but he wasn't my direct lawyer. He cared more about finding out what happened to me than sparing my feelings. In other words, he would ask me about everything. And I mean…everything. I was not looking forward to that. "Hello, Ms. Vega,"

I gave a nod. "Hello,"

"Would you like to tell the court what Mr. Jenson did?"

"Well…he came into my room late one night and kidnapped me." I said. "He held me captive for six months."

"Alright, let's go into detail." he said. He was pacing the floor a little bit. "I'm going to ask you a series of questions and you're going to answer them to the best of your ability and memory. Do you understand?"

I sighed heavily. I took a quick glance at my lawyer, Kaitlyn. She told me ahead of time that the questions might get a little personal, but that I shouldn't let it get to me. She gave me a nod and a smile. I looked back at Richard. "I understand,"

"Good," He cleared his throat. "Why not you start with what happened the early morning of May 22nd, 2012?"

"Sure," I said. "I was lying in my bed and I felt someone grabbing my arm. I opened my eyes and I was looking at that man right there."

"What's the name of that man?" asked Richard bluntly.

I gritted my teeth. No one understood how much I hated that man. "Michael Jenson,"

"Good job," he said. "From now on, will you please refer to him as Mr. Jenson and not that man? It'll lessen the confusion."

I gulped. I already hated this, but I still nodded and said, "Yes,"

"Okay, continue,"

I cleared my throat. "I looked up and saw…Mr. Jenson standing over my bed. He wanted me to go with him, but I objected. I told him that my dad is a cop and that he shouldn't be here, but he told me that he didn't care what my dad did for a living, that he could be the President of the United States and he would still be there…taking me. He told me that if I didn't go with him that he'd kill me and my family. I was scared to death and didn't know what else to do, so…I agreed to go with him. I didn't know what he was capable of."

Richard nodded. "What happened after that?"

"He told me to stay at his side…or else. He was holding a knife up to my throat." I cleared my throat. "He forced me to get my shoes on and I did. Once they were on my feet, he forced me to go downstairs with him and then go outside. I did as I was told and I went with him."

"And at what time did this occur?"

"Um…" I cleared my throat. "I think it was around…two or three in the morning, but I'm not exactly sure. I didn't exactly care about looking at the clock."

"What was his voice like?"

I hesitated for a moment. "It was…very firm, but he was also soft spoken. It was as if he didn't wanna wake anybody up."

"And when you say anybody, who are you referring to?"

"My mom, my dad, and my sister,"

He nodded. "How was he dressed?"

"Uh…in dark clothes," I answered.

"And what type of clothes?"

"A black hoodie, dark sweat pants, and a black cap," I said.

"What instructions did he give you?" he asked. "You indicated he threatened you?"

I gulped. "He basically told me to stay quiet. Yes, he threatened me,"

"And he threatened your family?"

"Yes,"

He nodded. "You indicated that he asked you to get shoes. What type of shoes did you put on?"

"My fur boots," I answered.

"Did you ask him why he was taking you?"

I bit my lip. "I tried to ask him a few times, but he never gave me a response."

"Did he have the knife to your throat the entire time?"

I hesitated. "Not the entire time, but for the majority of it."

"Did he continue to threaten you as he took you out of your home?"

"Yes,"

"Where did he take you?"

"We walked through a forest for what felt like hours before emerging to a not-so-great neighborhood." I said. "We walked a few houses down and then went into his house."

"As you guys were walking through the forest, did you observe whether he was carrying anything with him?"

I nodded. "He had a flashlight."

"Did he have any coats?"

"No,"

"Any additional clothing?"

"No," I said again.

"Did he ask you to put on any socks?"

I hesitated. What kind of question was that? "Uh…no. I was already wearing socks,"

"Okay, now Tori, was he concerned about being caught?"

"No," I said. "He thought for sure he was never gonna get caught."

"And where did he take you ultimately?"

I gulped. I was pretty sure I already said that he'd taken me to his house, but I answered anyway. "His house,"

"Tori, what was the first thing he did to you when he took you in his house?"

"He had a room designated for me and he made me go in it," I said. "I was strapped to the bed by cables."  
"Cables?" he questioned.

I nodded. "He used cables to strap me down by my right wrist, left wrist, left ankle, and right ankle."

"How long were you strapped to the bed?"

"Two days,"

"Did he offer you food or water in those two days?"

I blinked a few times. "No,"

He nodded. "After those two days, what did he do?"

"He told me to change out of my pajamas and put on a t-shirt, some jeans, and old tennis shoes. I was about to go to the bathroom to change, but he told me I had to change in there, right in front of him. I was about to argue with him, but he stopped me by pushing me against the wall and yelling in my face. He was saying stuff like, I have to do everything he says or else he'll kill me and my family. He also said that I can't back talk, yell, and I wasn't allowed to struggle at all. He told me that the life I had before might as well not exist since he was so sure I wouldn't get to see my family anymore." I sighed heavily. After a moment, I said, "And then…as punishment…he raped me." It was a struggle not to cry, but I remained strong.

He looked at me sympathetically for a moment, but then he continued with his questions. "In those early days at his house, what did he do to ensure that you didn't escape?"

I gulped. "He would strap me to the bed and threaten me with my life as much as he could. That was bad enough, but then he brought my friends in the mix."

"When you say he brought your friends in the mix, what do you mean?"

I cleared my throat. "I mean that he threatened my life, my family's lives, and my friends' lives. It was…absolutely awful."

He nodded. "Did he ever say what he would do to your family and friends?"

"Well…no, but…once…when he was choking me…he said that, once he was done with me, he'd put everyone in my previous life through a painful death, including…my pretty little friends, as he put it."

"Did he ever indicate that he was being serious?"

"Yes,"

"What did he say?"

I sighed heavily. "He forced me to give the names of my friends."

"And did you?"

I nodded and gulped. "I didn't want to, but I did,"

"And did he hurt them?"

"No," I said. "He didn't touch them."

"Tori, you indicted that he was choking you. Did he do that a lot?"

I bit my lip. "Yes,"

"What were his reasons for choking you?"

"If I did something he didn't approve of or if he was bored," I said. "Half the time he did it, he was just bored. I tried my hardest to do everything he told me to do."

"Okay," he said. "As far as being strapped to the bed, did he have a key?"

"Yes,"

"Tori, was he aware that police were looking for you and him?"

"Yes," I said. "He was aware of everything around him; he just tried his best to ignore it."

"Did he ever indicate to you that he knew he'd go to jail if he was caught?"

"It never occurred to him." I sighed heavily. "He thought he was never gonna be caught."

"So…without going into details, how often did he rape you, Tori?"

I flinched. I can't believe he would ask me that. I cleared my throat and said, "Um…I guess…almost every day. If I wasn't strapped down to the bed, he would rape me."

"Do you have any sort of proof that he raped you?"

I really didn't want to say this in front of the man, or Mr. Jenson or whatever the heck his name is, but I had no other choice. "He got me…pregnant." I began to hear murmurs amongst the jury, but the judge silenced everybody. I had my eye on the man, but he didn't even look up.

"When did you find out you were pregnant?"

"The day after I was found." I answered. "My baby girl is almost a year old now." Again, I had my eye on the man, but he still didn't look up or even looked remotely shocked that he is the reason why I had an eleven-month old daughter. He either already knew or didn't care. Probably both.

After that, the subject of my daughter was dropped and Richard moved on to something else. Thank God. "During your six months with the defendant, Tori, what was the predominate focus?"

"Um…I guess it was the rape,"

He nodded. "Was there ever a time he did not talk about sex or want sex?"

I almost laughed. "No, he always wanted it."

"Did he ever give you alcohol or drugs in order to lower your resistance to have sex with you?"

"No,"

"Never?"

"No, never," I said. "He used threatening words."

"Did he ever show you pornography?"

My eyes filled up with tears. "Just…just once,"

"Are you okay?" he asked gently. "Do you need to take a break?"

I took a deep breath and wiped at my eyes. "No, I'm fine,"

"Did he ever try to convince you that having sex with him was no big deal or normal?"

"Well…yeah," I said. "He raped me as if it was an everyday occurrence." I didn't like that he was calling it sex. I mean, I guess it was, but it was more rape than anything. I never agreed to do it.

"Was the defendant crude?"

"Yes,"

"Vulgar?"

"Yes,"

"And was he inappropriate about sex?"

I gulped. "All the time,"

"Would he use vulgar terms to describe parts of the male and female body?"

A tear fell down my cheek. "Yes," I croaked out.

"Now, Tori, are you sure you don't need a break?" he asked gently.

"I'm fine," I said and took a few deep breaths. I cleared my throat and wiped away the tear. "Trust me…I'm okay,"

"Okay," he said and sighed. "Would he say offensive vulgar things to you?"

I gulped. "Sometimes,"

He nodded. "Did he ever leave his house?"

"If he left, I was with him," I said. "He never left me there by myself."

"Tori, did you ever get a break from being raped by the defendant?"

"Uh…" I had to think about that. "The longest he went without raping me was…probably…three or four days. But…that was just one time. It was almost every day."

"Was there ever an occasion that you said no to him?"

My eyes widened. "About being raped?"

"Yes,"

"No," I said. "I wanted to, but never did,"

"Would the defendant ever try to convince you that it would be bad if he stopped having sex with you?"

I looked at him odd. "Uh…no, he just…he always wanted it. I'm sorry, it's just…I don't know how else to put it. And I don't like it being called sex, because I never agreed to it. It was rape."

"Okay," he said. "Was the defendant religious or did he talk about anything related to God?"

I was about to answer, but then the man's lawyer said, "Objection, Your Honor,"

The judge simply gave a nod and said, "Overruled,"

I sighed. "No. He never once mentioned religion or God."

"Was there ever a time he wanted you to forget about your life with your family?"

I was about to answer, but before I could, I had a flashback. I couldn't stop it from coming.

_The front page had a picture of me, my parents, and Trina from a few months before. We look like a perfect, happy family. Above the picture were the words, "In search for missing teenager, Victoria 'Tori' Vega,"_

_ "Tear it up," he said sharply._

_ I let out a sob and then tore it in half. I watched as my family got smaller and smaller the more times I ripped it. The more times I ripped it, the harder I cried. Once it was torn to shreds, I looked up at the man with teary yet angry eyes._

_He smiled and grabbed it. "Good job," He threw it in the fireplace and then started a fire. I watched as the pieces to that newspaper burned up. Then he walked out of the room and came out moments later with the clothes I was wearing when he took me: my pajamas and Ugg boots. "You see this…just keep watching." I watched as he threw the clothes and boots in the fire. I closed my eyes, looked down, and just let the tears fall. "Everything about your previous life needs to be forgotten."_

_I let out a few silent sobs. "I want my mom and dad," I finally said._

"_They no longer exist," he said bluntly. "I'm all you have."_

"Tori?" said Richard. "Tori, are you alright?" I looked up at him and it was as if the room was spinning. "Do we need to take a break?"

I slowly nodded. "Yeah," I mumbled and got up. I took one step and that's the last thing I remember before collapsing to the floor.

...

**P.S., I am not an expert on what goes on in courtrooms, so I'm sorry if there are errors. I tried my best haha**

**Anyway, until next chapter..don't forget to review :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! I know it's been like a week since I updated, but it feels like it's been longer…and sorry I didn't update sooner, it's been a weird week for me. But everything is good now and I hope you enjoy this next chapter :)**

…

Tori's POV

What felt like seconds later, I opened my eyes. I looked to my sides, but didn't recognize where I was. Then I looked up and saw my parents there. "Mom?" I mumbled. "Dad?"

My mom took something off my forehead and laid it aside. Looking closer, I realized it was a wet rag. I slowly rose up, but my dad got closer to me and helped me stay up. "Are you feeling better?" asked my mom.

"Uh…I think so." I looked around. "Where am I?"

"They took you in a private room to recover."

I was about to ask why, but then it occurred to me that I'd passed out. I jumped up and ran to the door and swung it open. We were in a courthouse. I slowly closed the door and backed up. I slid down a wall and sat down. "No…I can't do it."

"Do what?" asked my dad.

"Get asked questions about…" I didn't have to finish my sentence for them to know what I was talking about. "He had to have been asking me questions for hours."

My parents slowly smiled. "Tori…that only took about fifteen minutes." said my mom.

"Fifteen minutes?" I exclaimed. "You mean…that only took fifteen minutes?"

"Yeah," she said. She tucked hair behind my ear. "They're having a thirty minute recess and then we'll go back."

My heart started pounding hard. "So I'll have to get asked more questions?" I asked shakily.

"Yeah," said my dad. "It's procedure; it'll help that man get put in prison for life."

I looked off into space for a moment. I set there just thinking and came to a conclusion. I shook my head. "No,"

My parents looked at each other confused. "No what?" asked my dad.

"No, I'm not gonna answer anymore questions. I don't care that that was only fifteen minutes." I stood up. "That was the most awful fifteen minutes of my life, next to being with that man for six months. I'm not gonna do it."

"But Tori…they still have a whole lot of questions to ask you." said my mom gently. "They aren't even a third of the way done."

"I don't care," I said shakily. "They can ask someone else the questions." I really don't know why I said that last comment. They couldn't ask someone else those types of questions. No one else would know how that man actually is.

"Tori…you're the main person to testify." said my dad gently. "They need your evidence to know everything that that man did to you."

"Isn't it obvious what he did?" I screamed. "Okay, you know what? Just go out to the courtroom and tell them that he beat me, raped me, and treated me like crap for six months! That sums up everything!" I turned and ran out of the room.

I ran through the courthouse and people looked at me like I was crazy, but I didn't care. I ran all the way outside and to my dad's car. I tried to pull the backseat door open, but of course, it was locked. I struggled for another moment before falling to the ground crying.

A moment later, I felt someone rubbing my back. I wiped my eyes and looked up at the person. It was Trina. "Are you okay?" she asked gently.

"Do I look okay to you?" I snapped. "I'm sitting here crying my eyes out and you ask if I'm okay? What do you think?"

"Uh…I'm sorry," she said slowly. "I didn't know what else to say."

I sighed heavily and gave her a hug. I held onto her tightly and said, "I'm so sorry, Trina. I didn't mean to yell at you."

"It's okay," she said when we pulled apart.

I smiled softly and we stood up. "So…can we leave now?"

"Well…I think you're supposed to testify some more." she told me gently. "I don't think they have enough information for what to charge the man with."

I gulped. "Well…I can't answer anymore questions, at least…not right now."

"But…won't you forget some of the stuff he did to you if you wait longer?"

I eyed her. "Trina…I'll never forget what he did. It feels like just yesterday I was with him." I crossed my arms. "Can we please just leave now? I wanna go home."

She sighed. "Yeah, I'll go get Mom and Dad." She turned around and headed back in the courthouse.

I leaned against the car and pulled my phone out of my back pocket. It was off since all cell phones were required to be turned off while being in court, not put on silent or vibrate, but off. They were very clear about that.

I turned my phone on and immediately called Andre. It took him a moment to answer, but he finally did. "Hey Tori," I could tell he'd been smiling.

"Hey Andre," I said shakily.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I wish people would quit asking me that." I grumbled. "And…I don't know."

"Well…are you taking a break from court?"

"No, I'm done." I said. "I'm not answering anymore questions from them. I can't take it anymore." I sighed. "What's Jadelynne doing?" Andre, being the best boyfriend in the world, said that he'd watch Jadelynne during the trial. Jadelynne knew Andre well enough so that she wouldn't be uncomfortable around him. In fact, she adored him and he adored her. It was so cute to watch them play together.

"Nothing, just chilling," he said. "I've been holding onto her hands for the past twenty minutes while she attempts to walk around. She wants to stand up on her own, but her little feet just can't quite hold up yet."

"Aww," I said with a smile. "Has she been good?"

"She was a little fussy when she woke up, but once I gave her a bottle, she was good." he said. "We've been playing around ever since." I quickly pulled the phone away from my ear to check the time and saw that it was twelve o'clock. They asked us to be at the courthouse at eight o'clock and we were there right on time. There were just a lot of other things the people in the courtroom had to do before I took the stand. It actually got really boring just sitting there and listening to everyone talk. I'd had countless meetings with my lawyer where she prepared me for what would go on in court and what kind of questions they would ask me, but it was still boring. The court was using terms I'd never heard of before.

"Thank you so much, Andre," I said. "I really appreciate you watching her."

"It's my pleasure," he told me. "I love your daughter. She's so precious."

I giggled. "You're only saying that because she looks like me." Ever since Jadelynne was born, people have told me that she and I look exactly alike and I really think we do. If you look at a picture of me as a baby and compare it to a picture of Jadelynne, it's almost identical.

"No way," he said. "I'd be saying she's precious no matter what she looks like. She's your daughter, so I love her."

I sighed. "Andre, I wish you were her dad."

I heard him chuckle. "Well, if she really was my daughter, she wouldn't look like she does now."

"I know, but still," I said. "You treat her as if she really is your daughter."

"Well, I couldn't love her anymore if she really was my child."

Just then, my parents and Trina walked out of the courtroom and started to head towards me. "Hey, I gotta go." I said quickly. "I'll be home in a little bit, okay?"

"Alright, we'll be here," he said. "I love you, babe."

I smiled. "I love you, too. Bye,"

"Bye,"

I hung up and looked up at my family. "Are we leaving now?"

"Yeah, let's go," said my dad. I could tell by his voice that he was disappointed in me. He probably didn't understand why I didn't wanna continue with the trial.

On our way home, my mom turned in her seat and said, "Tori, can I ask you a question?"

I shrugged. "Sure," It's not like I wasn't already asked question after question that day.

"The questions Richard asked you…didn't Kaitlyn tell you that he would be asking you questions like that?"

I looked at her confused. "Yeah, so?"

"So…if you were prepared, why couldn't you continue with the trial?"

"Because I didn't realize that one of the questions would cause a flashback." I said sharply. "Did you guys think I was daydreaming right before I passed out?"

"Tori, please do not talk to us like that," said my mom sternly. "We know that that was hard, but there's no other way to get that man put in prison for life. It's up to you to testify against him."

"Whose side are you on?" I screamed. "No one understands that when you have to talk about a bad time in your life, it brings back the awful memories! I should have known that this would have happened!"

"Tori, you better believe that I am on your side." she said. "Otherwise, I wouldn't want you to testify against him. If you testify against him, he will go to prison for life. Don't you want that?"

"Yes, but not if it requires me to relive the horrible memories!" I screamed. "That's what a flashback is. It's when a bad moment from your past is replayed in your brain! It's just as bad as the actual experience!"

"Please stop screaming, Tori," said my mom. "We can hear you perfectly clear."

I sighed and set back against my seat. I crossed my arms and looked out the window. "No one understands," I mumbled.

By now, we were home and all of us were sitting in the car, but no one was moving. Finally my dad sighed and said, "Tori, we love you and we just want what's best for you. All you have to do is answer a few questions and that man will–"

"Will be put in prison for the rest of his life," I said quickly. "Yeah, I know, you don't have to remind me." I opened the car door and jumped out of the car. I ran to the front door and pushed it open.

Andre was sitting on the couch while holding Jadelynne in the air, but he put her back in his lap when I walked in. "Tori, hey. You startled me,"

"Let's go to my room." He nodded, held Jadelynne securely in his arms, and we headed up to the stairs. I let him walk into my room first and then I walked in and closed the door behind me. I leaned against the door and screamed in my hands. "Gahh, I hate my life!"

"Aww, you don't hate this part of it, do you?" he asked.

I looked up and saw that he was holding Jadelynne right in front of me. She had a big smile across her face. Her big brown eyes melted my heart. My eyes filled up with tears as I shook my head. I grabbed her and hugged her close to me. I kissed the top of her head. "I could never hate my little girl." I held Jadelynne close to me and started crying. While sobbing, I said, "I hate everything and everyone else right now! I just wish people would understand that flashbacks hurt just as bad as actually going through it. Why can't they understand that?"

"Tori, you need to calm down, okay?" said Andre gently.

"Why should I calm down?" I screamed. "You see? No one understands me, not even my boyfriend and even if my daughter was old enough to understand, she still wouldn't!"

Andre looked at Jadelynne with a worried expression, but then he grabbed her. "Tori, of course I understand, but before you hurt Jadelynne, you need to calm down."

I was livid with anger at this point. "Do not take my baby out of my arms!" I screamed.

Ignoring me, Andre opened the door and Trina happened to be walking down the hall. "Trina, will you take Jadelynne?"

"No, Trina!" I screamed. "Andre, you better hand me my daughter right now!"

Trina looked nervously between Andre and I. "Uh…Andre, I would hand Jadelynne to Tori right now if I were you."

"Trina," he said firmly. "Just take her," He handed Jadelynne to her.

"Andre!" I screamed. "That's my daughter!"

Andre sighed and looked at Trina. "Just take her to your room or downstairs or anywhere, okay?"

"Okay," said Trina nervously.

"Thanks," he said and closed the door. He turned to me. "Tori, just hear me out, I had to–"

"How could you do this to me?" I screamed at him. "I was already mad enough, but then you had Trina take away my daughter! That's the worst thing anyone could have done, Andre!"

"You obviously weren't looking at Jadelynne while you were screaming." he told me. "Your screaming was hurting her ears; she was covering her ears with her hands. I had to get her out of here before you hurt her."

I was about to yell at Andre, but it then occurred to me what he said. I was so mad that I didn't even think to look at Jadelynne. "I…I was hurting her?" I asked shakily.

"She just didn't like the screaming." he said gently. "But she's okay. Trina's got her."

I breathed unsteadily for a moment and then turned around and laid on my bed. I looked up at Andre and shook my head. "My life is a complete mess, isn't it?"

"No, of course not," he said and laid next to me. He pulled me to him and I laid my head on his chest; he wrapped his arms around me. "You're doing so well for yourself. You got your high school diploma back in May, which is awesome, but you know what's even more awesome?"

"What?" I asked shakily.

He brushed his fingers through my hair. "You're providing for your daughter and giving her the best life you can." he whispered.

I let out a sob. "Andre…remember when I didn't want her?"

"Yeah," he said after a sigh. "Why do you ask?"

"And…you were always saying to me that…that she could be the best thing that's ever happened to me, but…I never thought of it like that." I hesitated. "You were right. She is the best thing about me and always will be. I can't even imagine life without her."

"I don't blame you for not wanting her when you were pregnant with her." he whispered. "It's understandable."

"But still," I said. "I should have loved her from the moment I found out I was pregnant with her. I can't believe I had to see her face to know that; I should have just known it."

"It's behind you now." he told me.

My eyes widened and I rose up to look at Andre. "Oh, my God, Andre…what if she finds out that I didn't want her when she gets older? Oh, man, she'll hate me! My own daughter will hate me! What am I supposed to do about that?"

"Tori, just relax, okay?" he said and pushed my hair behind my ear. "She doesn't have to find out, but if you do feel compelled to tell her, you could sit her down and explain it to her. Just make sure she knows that you love her now. I mean, you didn't even technically know her when you were pregnant with her, so it's okay. I doubt she'll be too mad."

I giggled. "I wonder if she'll ever ask where her name came from."

He laughed. "Well, if she doesn't, at least her friends will ask. You'll have to tell her the complete story."

"And her friends better call her Jadelynne, not Jade." I said. "We're not calling her Jade for a reason. It's confusing enough with just Jadelynne."

"Yeah," he said.

We laid in silence for a good while. Just when I thought I was gonna fall asleep, Andre said, "Tori…if I ask you a question, will you promise not to get mad?"

I hated questions like that, but I still said, "I promise I won't get mad."

"Um…" He cleared his throat. "Do you think that Jadelynne looks like…him?"

I stiffened in Andre's arms. I think Andre could tell, because he quickly said, "I'm sorry, forget I asked."

"No, it's fine," I said and sighed. "And…the answer to your question…no, not really," I paused. "But that man does have a dimple on his left cheek and Jadelynne has a dimple on her left cheek. That's the only thing she got from him."

"That's good," he said. "At least she doesn't look exactly like him."

"Yeah, no kidding," I told him.

Andre didn't leave for another fifteen minutes. For those fifteen minutes, Andre and I stayed in my room and Trina didn't bring Jadelynne back in the room. I was a little glad that she didn't because Andre and I were a little busy making out on my bed.

At one point when we were pulled apart, he whispered, "Don't you think you should go talk to your parents?"

"Mm," I said. "I probably should, but this is more fun." I kissed him again and our make out session continued. All I could think while making out was, "Gosh, I love this man so much!"

After our fifteen minute make out session, I walked Andre downstairs and he left. I turned and walked in the kitchen where my parents and Trina were; Trina was holding Jadelynne, whom was feeding herself a bottle. I looked at Trina. "Can I take her now?"

She smiled and nodded and handed her to me. I cradled her in my arms and smiled down at her. She looked up at me with her big brown eyes. I stared at her for another moment before looking up at my parents. They were staring at me with sympathetic expressions. "I'm sorry I yelled." I said softly.

"Honey, it's okay," said my mom. "It's just that we love you so much and only want what's best for you."

"I know," I said. "Believe me, I want that man to rot and die in prison, but…talking about what he did is just so hard. I really wanted to continue talking today and answering questions, but after that flashback, I couldn't do it anymore."

They both nodded. "It's alright," said my dad. "Don't worry about it. He'll stay in jail for now and when the time comes that you feel like you can fully testify, we'll go back to court and make it happen. But we're sorry we pushed it on you today. We just hate that man so much and, like you said, we want him to rot and die in prison."

I giggled. "I'm convinced he will someday."


	3. Chapter 3

**So this chapter is pretty short, but I think you'll like it! Hope everyone is having a great Saturday :)**

…..

Tori's POV

I sat there next to my lawyer with my palms sweating. My heart was vibrating in my chest and I felt like I wanted to throw up. I was so nervous; I just wished the jury would come up with their decision already.

It took me three years before I could get up and testify again. This time, I didn't have a flashback and I didn't pass out. I was asked question after question after question for almost two hours and by the end of the almost-two hours, I had told everyone everything that the man did to me. I heard countless gasps from the jury all throughout. At one point, I even heard Trina start crying as I was detailing my six months of hell with this man.

Finally, the judge walked up to his stand and stood up with a paper in his hand. He cleared his throat and spoke clearly in the microphone. "The jury has found that the defendant, Michael David Jenson, is…guilty of the kidnap and torture of Victoria Marie Vega. He is being charged with abuse, sexual assault, and attempted murder. He is sentenced to life in prison."

The only people that were disappointed were the man's lawyer and the man himself. They quickly got up and walked out without a glance at anyone. Everyone else jumped up and celebrated, including me. My family ran over to me and they attacked me with hugs. I was so overwhelmed that I started crying. I was so happy that the man would be locked in prison for the rest of his life. It's where he belonged.

After hugging my family, Andre emerged from behind them. I had asked him to be here for this and he agreed; he now knew everything that the man did to me. Seeing his face when I explained the most horrible things the man did to me was painful. While talking about the times that man raped me, Andre had looks of horror on his face. While talking about the time the man had thrown a piece of glass in my leg, he couldn't even look at me. He covered his eyes with his hand and looked at the ground. When he finally looked up, he had tears running down his cheeks.

I smiled at him. "Hi Andre,"

He shook his head and then engulfed me in a huge hug. I tightly wrapped my arms around him. "I cannot tell you how much I want to kill that man. It took everything I had not to attack him. Your mom even had to calm me down."

I let out something between a sob and a giggle. "I love you so much."

When we came out of the hug, we gave each other a quick kiss. Then he grabbed my face and said quietly, "Tori…the things you went through with him…I can't…I can't even imagine. I can't believe while everyone here was so worried for you and looking for you, you were with that man…putting up with all that…that…torture from hell. Oh, my God, Tori. You are the strongest person in the world."

I burst into tears at his words. "Andre," I mumbled and collapsed against him and just cried in his chest. He held me tightly in his arms. "It was hell, Andre. It was…I can't…I just…"

"Shh," he said as he ran his hand over my hair. "Shh, it's okay, baby, it's okay; it's over. I've got you." The words "it's over now" or "you're safe now" were the things that Andre told me the most when I was crying because of those painful memories. He will never know how I happy I am to hear those words each time.

Once I finally recovered a few minutes later, to lighten the mood, Andre said, "I can't believe that evil man could help create such a beautiful little angel. I'm not kidding, Tori, Jadelynne is so sweet, so beautiful, so precious, and just so amazing. I love your little girl so much."

I started crying again after hearing those words. But these were happy tears and I was smiling hardcore. "That is honestly the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me. And I wish Jadelynne was your daughter so much." I told him that all the time.

He nodded and smiled. "Me too," That was always his response.


	4. Chapter 4

**Only updating to get my friend to quit begging me to update. Lol so Jhan, you better love me :P**

**Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Not very long, but it's cute :)**

…

Tori's POV

"Mommy!"

I turned around to see my now four-year-old daughter running to me. She jumped into my arms. She wrapped her arms around my neck and said, "Where the rest of my friends? I want presents!" Jadelynne was having a party at a gymnastics building with gymnastic equipment made for little kids. She was having about fifteen of her friends to come to the party and only a few had shown up so far. It was still early, so I knew they would start showing up soon.

I giggled. "They'll be here soon, okay?" I kissed her nose and then sat her back on the ground. "Now go play. You only turn four once."

"Being four means I'm a big girl, right?"

It was a struggle not to cry at her words. "Of course it does. You're a big girl now." I know parents say this all the time, but it honestly felt like just yesterday I gave birth to her. I still can't believe I didn't want her. I think about the fact that I almost killed her by those stupid pills almost every day and it hurts me to think about.

The party was a huge success. All of Jadelynne's friends came and so did my friends and family. Jadelynne got a lot of presents she loved, but especially an adorable little bear from Andre. When she opened it up, she gave it a hug and said, "Who gave me this?"

Andre raised a hand. "That would be me, darling,"

She squealed and then hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Andre,"

"No problem, cutie," he whispered and kissed the top of her head. It was so cute to see them together. I knew Andre wasn't lying when he said he loved Jadelynne. You could see it in his eyes.

After all the presents and cake-eating, things started to slow down a bit. The kids weren't running around as much anymore; you could tell they were getting a little tired. They had been running around like crazy for the past hour or so.

It seemed like I talked to everyone at the party except for Andre. Of course I wanted to talk to him, but I was always stuck talking with someone else. It was usually one of Jadelynne's friend's parents and we were just talking about parent stuff. I'd hugged and kissed Andre when he showed up, but we didn't just sit there and talk. There was so much stuff to do.

When I finished talking with one of my cousins, I started to clean up some of the ripped up wrapping paper; Jadelynne definitely tore into her presents. Just as I was picking up a plastic bag, someone put their hands over my eyes and said, "Guess who?"

I giggled. Andre was using a weird accent, but I could obviously tell it was him. "Well, this is just a wild guess, but…is it Andre?"

"Oh, you're good," he said and took his hands away.

I turned around and stood up at the same time. "Hey you," I said and quickly kissed him. "I feel like I've barely talked to you at this party."

"I know," he said. I could sense nervousness about him and I didn't know why. "I can't seem to get you alone."

"Well, I'm alone now." I said. "What's up?"

He took a deep breath. "Um…well…I'd like to ask you a question."

I looked at him odd. "Okay," I said with a smile.

He grabbed my hands. "Tori?"

I smiled. "Andre?"

While still gripping my hands, he got on one knee. My breath caught in my throat. He pulled a little black box out. He didn't open it, but I still knew what it was. I gasped and threw my hands to my mouth. Instantly, the whole room silenced. Everyone was looking at us. "Tori…I could make this long and drawn out. I could go on and on about how you're the love of my life and how you're the only girl for me. I could go on and on about how you make me feel complete and whole and maybe try to get you to understand just how much I truly love you. So instead of doing all that, I would just like to ask you a question…" He smiled and opened the box, revealing a gorgeous ring. "Will you marry me?"

My head was so much in a daze that I didn't answer for another moment. Finally, I slowly nodded. I nodded faster and then I smiled. "Yes," I said shakily.

Everyone started clapping and cheering, but I barely heard them. Andre rose up and placed the ring on my left hand, third finger. He gave me a sweet and gentle kiss. When we pulled apart, he smiled and said, "Where's Jadelynne?"

"Um…" I looked around and saw that Trina was holding her. She was still holding the bear Andre gave her. "Trina, will you tell Jadelynne to come here?" I asked.

She nodded and put Jadelynne on her feet. "Go over to Mommy." I heard her whisper.

She ran over to me and I held her in my arms. She wrapped her arms around my neck and rested her head against my shoulder. I kissed the top of her head and looked at Andre. He slightly smiled and said, "These are the only two girls that will ever have my heart. Unless of course…we have a daughter together."

I smiled. "I love you so much, Andre."


	5. Chapter 5

**I just want to say something before you read this chapter; I realize that I probably had everything that happened in the courtroom wrong. I'm obviously not a lawyer or anything in that sort; I'm just a writer. I used my imagination on how I think everything should have happened. So please, ignore the things that I got wrong or whatever. I wrote this a long time ago and there are things that I would have changed if I had written it now.**

**Anyways, enjoy this next chapter! It's kind of an "update" chapter on how everything is going for the gang :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the song "Mama's Song" by Carrie Underwood.**

….

Tori's POV

With Andre at the piano and me at the microphone, I looked out at everyone at our wedding reception. It might sound cheesy and cliché, but we got married on Valentine's Day. We thought it would be the perfect day and it was. One of the best parts about the wedding was our little girl as the flower girl. She looked so gorgeous.

"This is a song I wrote for my mom," I looked at my mom and she smiled widely. She had no idea about this. "I love you, Mommy," I said in the microphone and then Andre started playing notes on the piano. Before long, I started to sing the words to my song, "Mama's Song."

_Mama, you taught me to do the right things_

_ So now you have to let your baby fly_

_ You've given me everything that I will need_

_ To make it through this crazy thing called life_

_ And I know you watched me grow up and only want what's best for me_

_ And I think I found the answer to your prayers_

_ And he is good, so good_

_ He treats your little girl like a real man should_

_ He is good, so good_

_ He makes promises he keeps_

_ No, he's never gonna leave_

_ So don't you worry about me_

_ Don't you worry about me_

_ Mama, there's no way you'll ever lose me_

_ Giving me away is not goodbye_

_ As you watch me walk down to my future_

_ I hope tears of joy are in your eyes_

_ Cause he is good, so good_

_ And he treats your little girl like a real man should_

_ He is good, so good_

_ He makes promises he keeps_

_ No, he's never gonna leave_

_ So don't you worry about me_

_ Don't you worry about me_

_ And when I watch my baby grow up_

_ I'll only want what's best for her_

_ And I hope she'll find the answer to my prayers_

_ And that she'll say_

_ He is good, so good_

_ And he treats your little girl like a real man should_

_ He is good, so good_

_ He makes promises he keeps_

_ No, he's never gonna leave_

_ So don't you worry about me_

_ Don't you worry about me_

_ Mama, don't you worry about me_

_ Don't you worry about me_

The thing I loved most about the song was that even though it was a song for my mom, Andre and Jadelynne were mentioned in the song. Just as I finished the song, I walked off the stage and over to my mom. She stood up from her seat and we tightly hugged. The song made her start crying.

She rubbed her hand over the back of my hair. "I love you so much, baby," she whispered.

"I love you, too, Mom." I whispered back.

…

I gripped Andre's hand so hard I thought it would break. He took in a quick breath and whispered, "Try not to break my hand there, babe,"

"Shut up! This is your fault!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "You have no right to complain about anything!" It might seem like I had anger issues, but I didn't. I was just in an immense amount of pain.

"It's okay," I heard my mom whisper to Andre.

"Alright, Tori, this is it," said the doctor from the end of the bed. "Just one more push; come on, you can do it."

I took in a deep breath and pushed with everything I had. Seconds later, on November tenth at one o'clock in the afternoon, I gave birth to a precious baby boy. The doctor immediately laid him on my stomach and started to wipe him clean. His cries were the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard in my life. It made me so sad to think that I never had this moment with Jadelynne. Not a day goes by where I don't regret not wanting Jadelynne when I was pregnant with her.

Once my baby was taken away to get measured and weighed, Andre kissed the top of my head. "Great job, baby," he whispered. "Our son is here." We hadn't even been married for a year yet. I happened to get pregnant on my honeymoon and approximately nine months later, I had my baby. Honestly, the time Andre and I did it on the night of our wedding was not pleasant whatsoever. It didn't hurt and I obviously agreed to it, but it brought back so many flashbacks. Andre was patient with me and we successfully "got it done" on the fourth night of our honeymoon. Every night of the honeymoon after that was perfect. We had a full ten days on our honeymoon, so there were a lot of perfect nights.

I started to cry at his words. "I already love him so much."

"I know," he whispered.

A few minutes later, my baby was brought to me. I held him snuggly in my arms and kissed his little nose.

"What's his name?" asked Andre.

"Uh…" I cleared my throat. "I want you to pick a name. What do you think?"

His eyes widened. "You want me to name our son?"

"Of course," I said. "Any name you like. What should it be?"

"Hmm," he said and thought about it for a moment. Then he smiled and looked at me. "How about…Samuel?"

I smiled widely. "Perfect," I looked down. "Samuel…Ryan Harris. And we can shorten it to Sam as he grows up."

"Hey, if we shorten his name, why didn't we shorten Jadelynne's name?"

I giggled. "Do you know how much confusion there would be if we called her Jade? Jade already gets confused enough as it is."

"Wait, Jade?" he asked confused.

"Our friend Jade," I said. "You see? We already get confused. Let's just leave it at Jadelynne." For the first four years of her life, her name was Jadelynne Audrey Vega, but a few months before her fifth birthday, she became Jadelynne Audrey Harris. She was officially Andre's daughter.

…..

Jade's POV

I paced back and forth in my bathroom. I hated those small little pregnancy tests; they take forever to finally get a reading. A million thoughts were running through my head and they were scary ones. I was terrified for what the test was gonna say.

Finally, after another long minute, I decided it was time to look at the test. I sighed shakily and walked up to the counter. I looked down and gasped.

I walked out of the bathroom and headed to the living room of mine and Beck's apartment. We got married just a month before and, so far, things were going great.

Beck was on phone when I walked in. "Wow, man, that's great!" he said with a wide smile. "I'm so happy for you…yeah, okay, Jade and I will come by and visit you guys within the next few hours probably…okay, bye," He hung up.

"Who was that?"

"Andre," he said and put his phone in his back pocket. "Tori had the baby an hour ago."

My heart started pounding hard in excitement. "Aww, really? Boy or girl?"

"Boy," he said. "His name is Samuel Ryan Harris, but they're just gonna call him Sam growing up."

"How sweet," I said. "Well, we should go visit them, but first…I need to talk to you about something."

"Okay," he said. "What's up?" He plopped on the couch.

I sighed shakily and plopped down next to him. "Okay, um…this will probably be a huge shock and…well…oh, my gosh, how am I supposed to tell you that I'm pregnant?" I gasped and covered my mouth with my hands.

Beck's eyes widened so wide that I thought they would pop out of his head. He gulped and said, "Jade…are you serious?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Beck, I'm serious. I wouldn't joke about this." I grabbed his hand and pulled him to the bathroom. I picked up the pregnancy test with the little plus sign from the table and showed it to him. "I'm pregnant."

"Oh, my gosh," he whispered still in shock. He was quiet for a long time before saying, "You know what this means, right?"

"What?"

He smiled. "We're gonna be parents!"

"Oh dear, God, help us," I mumbled.

…

Cat's POV

"Robbie, what's wrong?" I asked. Robbie had been acting so weird lately. It was like he was nervous all the time. I'd been spending so much time with him over the last few months. He'd asked me if I wanted to be his girlfriend and I screamed I was so happy. We'd been dating ever since. He was the best boyfriend I'd ever had. He really treated me like a princess. You wouldn't think that Robbie is a romantic guy, but he is.

"Oh, I'm fine," he said and kissed my temple. "Don't worry about it, love,"

I giggled. "I love it when you call me love," I said in a giddy voice.

"I'm glad," he whispered and then he tucked some of my hair behind my ear. He leaned in and gave me a soft but full kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back.

A moment later, we pulled apart and we touched foreheads. "Cat?" he whispered.

"Yeah?" I whispered.

"Marry me," he whispered. "I love you so much, Cat. I've never loved someone as much as I love you; you mean the world to me. It would be an honor to be your husband. So…what do you say?"

"Oh Robbie," I said and squealed. "I'd love for you to be my husband."

"Yes!" he exclaimed and then kissed me again. He gently pushed me back on the couch and he was on top of me. He brushed his lips against my cheek and then whispered in my ear, "I love you, darling."

I giggled and said, "I love you, too, Rob."


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys :) So this is the next to last chapter! I hope you've all enjoyed this story, it's been fun! Also, I'm sure you've already noticed that I changed the name of this story to Warrior. You'll see why in the last chapter.**

**Anyways, enjoy!**

...

Andre's POV

"Andre!" screamed out Tori. "Hey, Andre!"

I jumped up from the couch and turned around. I saw Tori holding a crying (well, more like screaming) Sam. Tori looked completely exhausted and I couldn't blame her. Sam, who was only two months old, had been sick with a cold and he had cried nearly nonstop for three days. I helped take care of him as well, but Tori and I took shifts. "What is it, Tori?" I asked walking up to her.

"It's getting late; will you please go ahead and give Jadelynne a bath and then tuck her into bed?" she asked. "I'm too busy trying to get Sam to go to sleep." Jadelynne was five years old at the time.

"Yeah, of course," I told her immediately.

She smiled a grateful smile. "Thank you so much." she said gently.

I gave her a soft kiss. "She's my daughter now too, you know."

"I know." she said with a smile.

I smiled and then turned around and went to find Jadelynne. I had to go upstairs since she wasn't anywhere downstairs. I looked in our playroom and she was in there reading through a picture book. "Hey Jadelynne," I said.

She looked up and smiled. "Hey," she said. Ever since she found out I was now her dad, she didn't call me Andre anymore, but she also didn't call me dad. She didn't really call me anything. When she was three, she asked Tori about her dad and she told her that her real dad wasn't a good guy and that it would just be the two of them. So you can imagine her confusion when we told her that I would now be her dad. She even seemed kind of mad, but she eventually got used to it. Tori was positive that she would start calling me dad soon.

"Well, it's getting late." I said and tapped a finger on my watch. "We need to get you a bath and then into bed."

"Aww, but I'm not even tired." she complained.

"How about this?" I asked and walked up to her and bent down. "After your bath, we can read any bedtime story you want and maybe that will make you tired. How does that sound?"

She thought about that for a second and then smiled. "Any story I want?"

I nodded. "Any story you want,"

She smiled and then said, "Okay," She closed the space between us and wrapped her arms around my neck. I picked her up and carried her out of the room and into the bathroom.

Jadelynne never likes to think about taking a bath, but once she gets in the water with all her bath toys, she loves it. She's too young to wash herself, so we have a little sponge-type thing that we use to wash her with. She thinks it tickles, so she always laughs as she's being washed. She has the cutest little laugh. Also, she loves it when her hair is getting washed. Yeah, she's an interesting child.

After I got her dried off and dressed in her pajamas, I carried her to bed and tucked her in. She picked out her favorite bedtime story, which I've read to her many times before, but I still read it out loud to her. Even though she knew it by heart, she still listened carefully and laughed at the funny parts of the story.

By the time I was finished, she was getting sleepy. I smiled as I put the book up. "Getting sleepy?"

She rubbed her eye and nodded.

Just then, the door opened and in walked Tori. "Hey guys," she said with a smile.

"Hi Mama," said Jadelynne quietly.

"Hi baby," said Tori and she walked up to her and sat at her bedside. "Did you enjoy your bedtime story?"

"Uh huh," she said with a nod.

"Aww, that's nice. Well…now it's time that you go to sleep." Tori leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"Is Sammy feeling better?"

Tori and I smiled. We thought it was cute how she called her baby brother Sammy. "Yeah, I think he's a little better." She looked back at me. "I finally got him to sleep."

"Thank goodness," I told her.

"Yeah," she said and then turned back to Jadelynne. "I'll see you in the morning, sweetie. I love you."

"I love you, too." she said.

Tori smiled at Jadelynne, smiled up at me, and then headed out of the room. I walked up to Jadelynne's bedside and sat down. I pushed some of her hair out of her face and then leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Good night, baby. I love you."

She slowly smiled at me. "I love you, Daddy."

My breath caught in my throat and my heart picked up speed. I couldn't believe it…she called me Daddy. My sweet baby girl really called me Daddy. I was so thrilled that I almost cried. I hadn't been this excited since the day Sam was born. It was like I was a dad all over again.

My thoughts were interrupted by Jadelynne. "Daddy, are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm okay, baby." I leaned down and kissed her forehead again. "I'm okay." When I rose up, I said, "You know what…how about we read another story?"

"But…I thought we were only gonna read one." she asked.

"I know, but…I just wanna spend some more time with you tonight."

She smiled warmly. "Okay,"

I got another story and started to read it to her. It was a longer one and I started to get sleepy during it. I could tell Jadelynne was as well since she started yawning. As soon as I finished the story, I put it aside and fell asleep with Jadelynne against my chest.

Sometime later, I felt someone shaking me. "Andre, wake up," I heard someone whisper.

I slowly opened my eyes and saw Tori. "Hi Tori," I said and rubbed my eyes.

"Why are you still in Jadelynne's room?" she whispered.

"It's a long story." I whispered and gently picked Jadelynne up, stood up, and then laid her down on the bed. I pulled the covers up to her neck and then stood up. I looked at Tori and nodded my head towards the door.

We both walked out and headed downstairs. We sat down on the couch and faced each other. "So…what's up?" asked Tori.

I smiled widely. "Jadelynne called me daddy."

"She did?" asked Tori with a smile.

I nodded. "Yeah and…it was incredible. There's just this feeling in the pit of my stomach; it's…it's just…"

"It's magical, I know," finished off Tori. "I've felt this feeling before. The first time I knew I wanted Jadelynne and when Sam was born. It's a pretty incredible feeling, huh?"

"It's so incredible," I whispered. "I also felt it when Sam was born, but…I've never felt it with Jadelynne."

"Well…now you have." she said.

I just stared at Tori for a moment, studying her face and looking at all of her features. I always knew how much Jadelynne looked like her mother, but it was when I was looking at Tori right then that I could really see it. Jadelynne had Tori's hair, eyes, nose, cheekbones, and smile. The only thing that she got from her biological dad is the dimple on her left cheek. You saw it every time she smiled or laughed and, oddly enough, it didn't make me think of her biological dad. Before Jadelynne was born, Tori assumed that whenever she looked at her baby, she would think of the awful man that kidnapped her and hurt her in every way possible, but I don't think she ever thought of him. Whenever she looked at Jadelynne, she saw her daughter and whenever I looked at Jadelynne, I saw my daughter. Jadelynne was her own person and that's what was important.


	7. Chapter 7

**I hope you all enjoy this final chapter! There won't be a sequel, considering this is a sequel, but I do have other stories that I will start posting soon! Until then, here's the final chapter :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the song Warrior by Demi Lovato (if possible, listen to the song while Tori is playing it. It adds more emotion.)**

…

Tori's POV

After putting Sam down for a nap, I headed back down the stairs. I ran into Jadelynne on the way. "Hi Mama!" she said excitedly. She jumped into my arms. As a six-year-old, I knew her days of doing this were coming to an end. She was starting to get heavy.

"Hi cutie," I said and kissed her forehead. "How about you go to the playroom and play for a few minutes? Mama has something to do before Daddy gets home."

"Okay," I set her back down on her feet and she jogged up the stairs and ran into the playroom. She was such a good little girl. She always did exactly what she was told. I only hoped she would obey Andre and I like that as a teenager.

I giggled and headed down the stairs and went into the room with the piano. It wasn't really a room; it was more like a parlor. Since it was an open room and in no way sound proof, you could hear the music throughout the whole house. But no one ever seems to mind. Andre and I were the only ones who played it regularly. Jadelynne had taken an interest in it and Andre was giving her lessons twice a week. She was actually getting pretty good.

I set down at the piano and flipped through the sheet music and I stopped on the song that I had been working on for the last few weeks. After taking a moment to collect my emotions and thoughts, I began to play.

_This is a story that I've never told_

_I gotta get this off my chest to let it go_

_I need to take back the light inside you stole_

_You're a criminal_

_And you steal like you're a pro_

_All the pain and the truth I wear like a battle wound_

_So ashamed, so confused_

_I was broken and bruised_

_Now I'm a warrior_

_Now I've got thicker skin_

_I'm a warrior_

_I'm stronger than I've ever been in_

_And my armor, is made of steel, you can't get in_

_I'm a warrior_

_And you can never hurt me again_

_Out of the ashes, I'm burning like a fire_

_You can save your apologies_

_You're nothing but a liar_

_I've got shame, I've got scars_

_That I will never show_

_I'm a survivor in more ways than you know_

_Cause all the pain and the truth_

_I wear like a battle wound_

_So ashamed, so confused_

_I'm not broken or bruised_

_Cause now I'm a warrior_

_Now I got thicker skin_

_I'm a warrior_

_I'm stronger than I've ever been_

_And my armor, is made of steel, you can't get in_

_Im a warrior_

_And you can never hurt me_

_There's a part of me I can't get back_

_A little girl grew up too fast_

_All it took was once; I'll never be the same_

_Now I'm taking back my life today_

_Nothing left that you can say_

_Cause you were never gonna take the blame anyway_

_Now I'm a warrior_

_I got thicker skin_

_I'm a warrior_

_I'm stronger than I've ever been_

_And my armor, is made of steel, you can't get in_

_I'm a warrior_

_And you can never hurt me again_

_Nooo, oooh yeaaah yeaah_

_You can never hurt me again_

I finished the song, but barely. I got really emotional during the second chorus and I held in my emotions until the end of the song. Then I burst into tears at the end. How ironic; I was singing about how I was now a warrior, but I was crying my eyes out now.

I didn't hear Andre come in, but next thing I knew, he was sitting next to me on the bench. "Baby, what's wrong?" I had been secretive about this song, so he didn't know about it.

I couldn't even speak because I was crying too hard. All I did was grab the sheet music and hand it to Andre. I stood up and walked in the living room and sprawled out on the couch. I grabbed a pillow, buried my face in it, and cried.

After a few minutes, Andre sat down in front of me. "Tori, look at me." I slowly took my face out of the pillow and looked at Andre. He was sitting on the floor so that he could be eye level with me. He rubbed his hand on my back. "That song is amazing. And you know what? You are a warrior. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"But how? How am I a warrior?" My eyes filled with more tears. "Right after playing that song, I started crying. And…I can't stop." A few sobs escaped. "How am I a warrior…if I'm crying?"

"Oh, babe, crying doesn't mean you're weak. Not at all. Sometimes that's the only way to let out the pain." He leaned in and kissed my forehead. "After what you went through, there's no way you're weak. You're the strongest person I know."

I didn't have anything to say to that, so I just kept my head on the pillow and continued to cry; Andre stayed right beside me and rubbed my back. Sometimes crying is the only option I have. I try to never keep it bottled up, because that just makes things worse.

Five minutes later, I heard a little noise. "Mama?" I looked at where the noise came from and it was Jadelynne. I could see she was about to cry. "Mama, why are you sad?"

I recovered enough to stand up and walk over to her. I scooped her in my arms and sat down on the couch. "I'm okay, baby girl." I whispered. "I'm just a little sad."

"Why?"

I sighed heavily and looked at Andre. I whispered, "Should we tell her?"

He shrugged. "It's whatever you think."

I came so close to telling Jadelynne why I was sad. I came so close to telling her that she was created from an evil man who took her mama and caused her so much pain. But I didn't tell her any of that stuff. She was only six years old. She was still too young to know. My worst fear was her finding out about that too soon or in the wrong way, resulting in her believing that she's a mistake or I didn't love her. But neither of those statements was true. She was a blessing and I loved her with everything I had.

But I had to tell her something, so this is what I said: "Honey, I went through some hard times a few years ago. Everything is good now, but sometimes, when I think back to those hard times, the memories become too much and I can't help but cry. When I do, the best thing to do is just give me a hug. That's what Daddy does and it helps more than he'll ever know." I quickly flashed a smile at Andre. He smiled back. "So if you ever see me cry, just give me a big hug." I tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear. "I'll be okay. You know why?"

"Why?"

I hugged her and in her ear, I whispered, "Because I'm a warrior."


End file.
